Greetings all, I'm trying to memorize both the Pali and English for this video. I have the 'Chanting Book' downloaded but with the current state of my eyesight I cannot easily read the text, and to be honest just scrolling to the correct page / section can be a challenge. I've tried copying and past...

A more technical answer - There is no 'Bad' and 'Good' Karma. There is only 'Karma'. The best Karma for me/you, would be the one that succeeds in keeping me/you in a neutral (devoid of emotional upsurges) state of mind for as long as is possible (do not ask for sutta references .. it is not from su...

When I was young, we were actually taught or encouraged to think for ourselves at school. But in recent years, I see authoritarianism; political correctness; fear; conformity; obedience; like I have never seen before in my life. Its frightening. In 30 years, unless something drastically changes, I ...

As a counterbalance to all the debates about Nibbana here on DW, I would like to post something beautiful and inspiring, from the Buddha himself. It's from the Dhatu-vibhanga Sutta: An Analysis of the Properties. "'He has been stilled where the currents of construing do not flow. And when the curren...

If you think the third precept gives you the right to visit prostitutes, I think you're missing the point of sexual misconduct IMHO. I don't think I could enjoy having sex with a prostitute (who often despise their clients, how could that be fun?) but still, it would be more honourable to do that, ...

There is a huge difference between no-self, what the Buddha did not teach and not-self, what he did.
I think this discrepancy would clear up a large amount of misundersanding of his teaching on anatta.

In saying that I believe the Buddha-Dhamma to hold the highest and most pertinent truths, I'm not saying that all other Paths are useless - some folks find their belief in / worship of a 'Supreme Deity', helps them lead a more virtuous life, for example - nor do I intend to try to force my view on ...

I think reading many different suttas, then comparing them, is a good thing. However, much in the suttas can be hard to understand, until it has been explained to one, by a dhamma teacher, and if you are interested in jhana according to the suttas, choose your teacher with care, find one who bases t...

I refute the premise that people who are married are not lonely, that those who have four siblings are not lonely, that those who have lot of real life friends are not lonely. Being alone is the natural state of a human being. In recent decades, it is this natural tendency that is becoming more and...

Perhaps it is. There are some moral rules on which there is no consensus, such as euthanasia. But others seem objectively true, or at least unobjectionable. For example, "One should not torture people for no other purpose than sadism". This seems to be objectively true, at least as objective as mor...

In my experience, being mindful of sensations, noises, smells, etc, during sex is quite yucky. Total lust-killer. If I want "good" sex, I try to focus on the other person, or the passion, or what I feel for her in my mind. Not the actual sensations, as Goenkaji may teach. I get the same effect with...

Yeah I am not entirely sure about that. In Burma they have a lay sponsor system, where if a lay sponsor is willing to get you your requisites, and provide support then the ordination will likely happen. That I am aware of this type of system where the lay sponsor gains merit by performing this act ...

Commentaries give this: 1) Foam, because it lacks substance, and is also full of holes and fissures and the abode of small creatures. After expanding, it breaks up. 2) A bubble, because it is feeble and cannot be grasped. It develops in dependence upon conditions. 3) A mirage, because it is insubst...

Hi Dylan, please read the Buddha's words as recorded here, carefully. "And how is a monk a noble one with banner lowered, burden placed down, unfettered? There is the case where a monk's conceit 'I am' is abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of develop...

Life is uncertain, and I cannot know if I will truly be a monastic for the rest of my life, but what I do know is that whether I am a lay person or monastic, I have my practice, following the noble eightfold path is available for us anytime, no matter who we are. So do not forget the Noble Eightfol...

I've heard that Burma is a better place for older people to ordain. Elderly and even disabled people ordain there. What level of disabled do you mean? I'm quite sure that, if someone has an infirmity that would hinder them from supporting themselves as a layman, they are not permitted to ordain (in...

Greetings, regarding the Phena Sutta ('Foam' - https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.095.than.html ), Form is compared to a lump of foam Feeling, to a water bubble Perception, to a mirage Volitional Formations, to the trunk of a Plantain tree Consciousness, to a magical illusion I th...